"I try to live by one simple rule," said T. Boone Pickens. "Work eight hours and sleep eight hours, and make sure they are not the same eight hours." He chuckled and then added, "But I have to tell you, I'm not doing so well these days following that rule. I need a hell of a lot more than eight hours to get in all the work I need to do."

Real estate developer Richard Friedman has been winning plaudits for his unusual latest project: the transformation of the historic Charles Street Jail in Boston's Beacon Hill district into the luxurious, award-winning Liberty Hotel.

The aviation bug bit Alex Wilcox at an early age, back when an airline pilot could invite a wide-eyed youngster into the cockpit during a long flight. Wilcox's Swiss mother and American father spent lots of time in Europe, and he vividly recalls extended conversations with pilots while crossing the North Atlantic.

It didn't take long for 28-year-old golfer Adam Scott to accumulate all the trappings of sports superstardom. Eight years after turning pro, he commands more than $8 million a year in endorsement fees and has accumulated $23 million in tournament winnings.

The NASDAQ crashed in March 2000, Shawn Jenkins recalled. "That June, my partner Mason Holland and I started Benefitfocus. It was an awkward time to start a software company," he said, with just a touch of irony.